22 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Defence the procedures to be followed by the Army when asked for help with forest fires; and if he has satisfied himself that these procedures enable the Army to respond with sufficient urgency in all cases.

The Defence Forces respond to requests to assist the civil authorities in dealing with forest fires, within the limit of resources available at the time the request is received. I am not aware of any deficiency in the procedure for dealing with such requests.